Welcome to Our World
by River Constantine
Summary: Story #2 in the series... River's first case! Reid/River centered, but no romance, yet. Serial rapist loose in Central Texas, and the team goes to find the UnSub. Rated T. DONE!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, other than River Constantine. I am not making money from these stories. I like writing and this is a terrific distraction for me._

_**Chapter One**_

The young girl woke up with a start. *What time is it?* she thought, slightly scared.

It was Thursday morning, and Dr. River Constantine was rushing around, hoping, and praying that she would be on time. The coffee pot was almost done brewing, and the apartment smelled of extremely strong coffee. The toaster had just popped up the two pieces of toast that were all she was going to have time to eat this morning. *Please, just let us get a break for lunch or something. I am going to be starving in a few hours,* she pleaded with no one in particular.

As River was locking the door to her apartment, the next door over opened quickly and Dr. Spencer Reid practically ran out.

"Are you running late, too?" River asked of her neighbor, and friend.

"Yeah. I couldn't get to sleep; I don't even know when I fell asleep, but I didn't hear the alarm at all."

"Same here, pretty much. Would you like a ride?"

"I thought you never got behind the wheel of a car. Never mind, it doesn't matter. Yes, I would love a ride," Spencer responded.

"Alright, c'mon Spence."

Dr. Reid smiled. He remembered the way he felt when JJ called him "Spence". He loved it when she called him that, mainly because River had always called him by that nickname. His heart jumped into his throat. *Maybe things are better now. Maybe she is better now.*

River could tell he was thinking… most likely of when they were younger. The look on his face reminded her of when they were in college. Yesterday, he seemed so much older than she remembered, but now, he looked like she remembered. They had just pulled out of the parking lot of their complex, and she was speeding down the road toward the BAU. As she was about to turn onto the highway, her cell started ringing. It was already plugged into the hands free system in her car, and she just hit the answer button.

"This is Dr. Constantine."

"Hey River, it's JJ. Hotchner is calling the team together with wheels up in an hour. How far away are you?"

"I'm driving now; just got on the highway. Reid is with me."

"Okay. Well, that's one less call for me."

"JJ, do you know what the case is?" Reid asked, while watching the other cars disappear as River drove faster.

"It's the series of rapes in Austin that we looked at yesterday. Three more students were attacked last night. Local PD is positive it's the same guy," JJ replied. "Well, I have to go. Still have to call Emily and Derek."

"Alright. We should be there in about 5 or 10 minutes depending on traffic," River said, and then hit the end button on her phone.

"The technology you have in this car is amazing. I can't even tell what half of this stuff is for," Spencer said, trying to not let the fact that he was terrified of their speed show through in his voice.

"Most of it is pretty much useless most of the time, but it was highly recommended. Everything in the car is linked with the ONStar system. There's the hands free system for the cell, there's voice activation for everything including windshield wipers and even unlocking the doors and starting the engine. The latter two require giving a PIN for activation, though. The only other thing of real importance is the medical monitoring system. It can read pulse, blood pressure, respirations, and body temperature in regular intervals. It can also read glucose levels, and blood counts, but that requires test strips, so it can't do it on its own." River loved her car, but she never really had anyone else in it, so she didn't really get a chance to talk about all of the additions she had made.

"Why do you need the medical system?" Reid asked, worried.

"I've had a few issues recently. The doctor can't really explain it, but the diagnosis is an unspecified bleeding disorder, drug induced. Basically, sometimes my blood won't clot correctly or I will become anemic for no apparent reason. It started shortly before I stopped using the morphine," she said, and paused. She was a little uncomfortable talking about the drugs, even though he already knew. Talking about the morphine made her want to use even more. "The hematologist told me I needed to quit using, or the disorder could become permanent. Part of me thinks that is why I'm having such a hard time; because I didn't really get to the point where I felt I needed to quit."

River fell silent. She was feeling like she had said too much, and just wanted to run away at that point. Luckily, they had just arrived at BAU headquarters, and an excuse to change the subject was about to become available.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, other than River Constantine. I am not making money from these stories. I like writing and this is a terrific distraction for me._

_**Chapter Two**_

Dr. Spencer Reid and Dr. River Constantine walked into the BAU, and saw nothing but chaos. SSAs Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The two doctors could tell something serious was going on. These two men rarely showed that anything was wrong, even when there was something. JJ came up to them, almost running, and pulled them into the chaos.

"One of the girls attacked last night died 20 minutes ago, and another is on her death bed. We are trying to gather everything we need to brief the team as soon as everyone is here. Here is a list of things we still need. Try to get them ready. Derek should be here in 10 minutes, and Emily should be here in about 15." Reid had never seen JJ so frazzled. She seemed like she had been informed that the apocalypse was due in less than 20 minutes and she needed to warn the entire planet.

"None of the previous victims died, right?" River asked. "Do we know what is different?"

"Not yet. Working on it," JJ called as she was hurrying away, towards Hotch.

"Well, we should probably get on this list," Reid said, a little hesitant.

River could tell he was still digesting the conversation they had had in the car, on the way to work. She didn't want to talk about it anymore, but she knew that he was going to want to talk to her more, and there was nothing she could do to change that, so she decided to forget for as long as she could and get to work.

Ten minutes later, Morgan and Prentiss came through the door, and stopped dead in their tracks. Their faces showed they were a little wary about what the day may have in store. After a few seconds, Hotchner saw that they were there, and yelled, "My team to the conference room, now."

Once they were all seated in the conference room, JJ began the briefing. She was talking a mile a minute, but her point was clear. "There have been a total of 6 attacks in Austin, TX. Three earlier this week, and 3 more last night. One of the women attacked last night died about 30 minutes ago, and the doctors at University Medical Center have said that it is just a matter of time for one of the others. At the moment, they believe it may be something with the Rohypnol they were given, but we have to wait on the autopsy for a definite cause." JJ paused to catch her breath, and continued, "The UnSub drugs the women, all college students at UT, while they are at a bar on Sixth Street, takes them somewhere, most likely in the area, rapes and mutilates them, and then leaves them in the downtown area. So far, no witnesses have come forward. Friends of the victims did not notice anyone suspicious, and did not see the victims leave with anyone. When they are found, the victims are dressed, but covered in their own blood. So far, the UnSub has not left any DNA of their own on the victims, so he is most like using condoms and being careful when mutilating them." JJ stopped again, looking around the room.

"What kind of mutilation are we talking about here?" Reid asked.

"He is cutting them, apparently with a razor or scalpel, and burning them with cigarettes," JJ answered.

Reid looked in River's direction, but quickly diverted his attention to the window behind her. No one noticed, other than River. She was relatively sure she knew what he was thinking. He had seen the scars. There was no other reason he would have glanced at her. He had to have seen the scars. River had a history of self-injury, mainly cutting herself, but it had been over a year and a half since it had happened. Sometimes, she still wanted to, but she was able to control it. Reid knew this was going to be a hard case for her, for all of them, but they needed to do their job. He decided to not confront River, unless necessary. He was going to watch her closely, though. This case was going to require them to go into the bars on Sixth Street, which was the heart of the downtown district in Austin. There were bars everywhere, at least 10 within each block. If she needed help, he just hoped she would ask.

"Wheels up in 30 minutes," Hotch said. Reid noticed at that point that he hadn't been paying attention whatsoever. Everyone was gathering their papers, and leaving the room to go make sure they had everything they needed for the trip. Reid and River were the last two out of the room.

"You okay?" Reid asked.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" River countered, unwilling to have a deep conversation at that point.

*I certainly hope you will be, at least,* Reid thought to himself, walking to his desk to check his go-bag.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, other than River Constantine. I am not making money from these stories. I like writing and this is a terrific distraction for me._

_**Chapter Three**_

*Why? Why does this have to be my first case on the team?* River asked in her head, to no one in particular. River hadn't said a word since they got on the plane. She was lost in her head, which had become normal in the weeks prior. She didn't want anyone to notice, but Reid had. Agent Hotchner noticed too, but he didn't know her well enough to know how she normally acted when stuck in a small place with new people.

*Bars and mutilation? Seriously?* she asked. *I really hope nothing goes wrong... I really hope I can get through this.* Her mind seldom wandered, but at that point, it was. *Why does this have to happen NOW? Yesterday, when we were looking at this case, I had a hard enough time, and now we are going down there. Sixth Street is one of the best club districts in the US, and I am going to be spending a good portion of the next few days there. I can't drink, I just can't.* She was craving the alcohol really bad at that point, and they weren't even halfway to Texas yet. *And to top it all off, the UnSub has to mutilate them! I cannot believe this is happening! I can't drink, I know that, and I have been having urges to cut, but I can't do that either. Not while I am on a case, surrounded by other FBI agents and cops. This sucks. This really sucks!*

Reid had noticed she was lost in her head, that she was zoning out a little. She didn't even look up when Hotch made a comment about her. He was a little worried about how she was doing. It was her second day on the job, and they were already on the jet, flying halfway across the country. And then there was the case, this case. It definitely was not going to be easy. They had live victims, and family and friends of the victims to handle. That was never easy, not even with lesser crimes. Rape cases were always difficult, even when the victim was deceased. But here they had live victims, who had no real memories of what had happened. They knew something had happened. They were covered in blood, and in pain; they also didn't know where they were or how they got there. The fear had to be worse than any they had ever felt, and River was definitely empathizing.

*I need to get off of this plane. I need to escape. I can't do this. Not now, not yet. This is too much. I can't handle this, I can't… who am I kidding? I'm not going to make it through this case, not without using or cutting, at least. Why should I even try? Wait, self-sabotage is never a good thing… I need to try, I have to try. I don't have any other choice. I want to be on this team, stay on this team, and that won't happen if I give in. I HAVE TO TRY!*

River jumped out of her seat, almost running into Derek as she almost ran to the restroom on the plane. Reid and Hotch exchanged worried looks, and Reid stood up, and walked casually the same direction River had gone. He stood near the door to the restroom, and waited. As soon as River opened the door, he gently placed his hand on her arm, near her shoulder, and guided her farther back, away from the rest of the team.

Reid looked at her, but she wouldn't look him in the eye. He raised his hand to her chin and calmly, sweetly raised her head to where she would have to look at him. Quietly, he began.

"I don't know all of what has happened with you since we last talked before yesterday. Honestly, I don't need to know. Right now, all that matters is that you are honest with me. Are you okay?" She didn't answer him, and diverted her eyes without turning her head away. "Please River, talk to me. I am not the only one who sees there is something going on. Hotch looked at me, worried, when you jumped out of your seat. I came after you, so that he wouldn't be the one having this conversation with you. Honestly, are you okay?"

"I don't know, I hope so. At least, I hope I will be," she responded, even quieter than him. "It's just a little hard right now. I know it will get better, if I can just stick with it, but right now it doesn't feel like I can. I just want everything to feel better. I don't like feeling like this, like my world is collapsing around me. I just, I don't know, I want to be okay. I don't want to have to wait. I want to be okay."

"I know it is hard, trust me, I know. But, like you said, it does get better. It could just be this case. You can get through this, you just have to try as hard as you can. If it doesn't feel like you can do it, I am here. I will always be here. You are my best friend; you are the only one who understands what it feels like to be a genius, the only one who understands me. I will always be here for you. Please remember that."

"Okay, I will. I just hope I can make myself talk about things when they start to get too bad," River said.

"Me, too. Me, too."

Reid put his hand on her shoulder again, and after a few seconds of silence, they made their way back to their seats.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, other than River Constantine. I am not making money from these stories. I like writing and this is a terrific distraction for me._

_**Chapter Four**_

The plane had just landed, and the team was making their way out. Agent Hotchner noticed River seemed a little calmer than she had been during the flight. As they were walking through the airport in Austin, Hotch slowed down his pace so that he was next to Dr. Constantine as they were walking. "You don't like planes, do you?" he asked.

"Not really. I don't like being trapped in such a small area, with nowhere to go if something happens," she responded, relieved. He probably thought that the way she had acted on the plane was because she didn't like flying. Spencer Reid knew different, but he would also most likely not tell anyone. She had gone to school with Spencer. They had practically grown up together. River was his first crush, and judging by her first day on the job, that crush had been renewed the second she walked through the door.

They were outside the airport now, and there were three FBI agents from Houston standing there, next to two SUVs. Hotch walked over to the agents, signed for the SUVs, and shook hands with the agents. He came back with two sets of keys, tossed one set to Derek, and everyone started loading their go-bags into the back of the SUVs, and got into their respective vehicles. Derek was driving the SUV with Spencer, River, and Emily riding along. Hotch was driving with Rossi and JJ in the back. They were all headed to 7th Street and IH 35, Austin Police Department headquarters. It was an easy drive, and only lasted about 20 minutes. They were inside and setting up in what was going to be their conference room for the next few days in a matter of minutes.

The first day went by quickly, going over all of the reports and evidence that the Austin police had gathered. By 6pm, the agents were getting prepared to start canvassing 6th Street, just in case the attacker was out again that night. They weren't sure whether he would, seeing as he had attacked three women the previous night, but they didn't want to risk it.

At around 4 am, after the club district had cleared out for the most part, the BAU team finally headed to their hotel. It was right on the Colorado River, just south of downtown, walking distance from 6th street and the police station. They had three rooms. Emily, JJ and River were sharing one, as were Morgan and Reid, and Rossi and Hotch.

As they were going to their respective rooms, Reid touched River's arm. She stopped and turned toward him. "Yes?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you would like to join me for a quick cup of coffee." Spencer seemed a little uncomfortable asking the question, especially since everyone was still in the hallway, pretending not to listen.

"Sure," River responded, trying to stay calm.

The two young geniuses headed to the restaurant on the main floor of the hotel. Once they had their coffee, Spencer got to the point. "How are you?" he asked, calmly, quietly.

"Okay. It was hard, being around all of those clubs… I just want to get back to Virginia, and start working on another case. I don't think I am quite ready to be thrown into this kind of thing. I am just holding on by my fingernails right now. It's hard, really hard."

"I know the feeling…" Spencer said, quietly, almost too quiet.

"What do you mean, Spence?"

"What?" he asked, surprised. He thought he hadn't said the words out loud, but apparently he had, and she had heard him. "I know the feeling. I've been there. Eight months ago. I was ten months clean at that point… Dilaudid. I've got a little over a year and a half now." He paused, trying to decide if he should go any further. "I never thought I would be an addict, but circumstances changed that. I was taken hostage by a man with multiple personalities. One of the personalities gave me Dilaudid, because the others had hurt me. After the incident, I couldn't control it. I had to have it; I couldn't stop. Hotchner and Gideon, another agent at the time, knew that I was having issues and they knew about the drugs. They helped me, they taught me that I wasn't alone, and they showed me that people can actually care about others. I didn't know at the time that they knew. They never asked about it, and they never really gave any signs that they knew. You are not alone, I am here. I know it may not be the right time, but I can introduce you to other people. Alcoholics and addicts who are clean and sober. Whenever you are ready, I will take you to meet them. You just need to say the word." He had been speaking quickly, but still quietly, and in a caring manner.

Everything he had said had taken River off guard. She didn't know what to say.

"It's okay. I know it is a lot to process right now, why don't we go to bed. We can talk tomorrow. We need to get some sleep, seeing as we don't know when we will be able to after tonight. Come on, let's go."

"Thank you, Spence."

He just smiled, and as they were walking, he put his arm around her shoulders. It was just like the old days, when they were walking through campus, being goofy teenagers, before life had gotten complicated for either of them.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, other than River Constantine. I am not making money from these stories. I like writing and this is a terrific distraction for me._

_**Chapter F**__**ive**_

It was two days later, Saturday, and the team was heading back to the hotel. The case was over. Technically it was Sunday, early in the morning. They caught the guy, as he was about to rape another student. The profile had come together, slowly, and Dr. River Constantine and Dr. Spencer Reid had seen someone matching the profile while they were patrolling down on Sixth Street. They followed the man and called in to the other team members. Derek Morgan met up with them just as the man grabbed his last student. Morgan chased the man, and caught him. They had enough to put the guy away, easily.

It was 1 am, and the bars were preparing to close down for the night, as the team made it back to the hotel. They were going to rest for the night, and fly back to Quantico in the morning.

As they were walking through the lobby, Morgan started heading to the restaurant. "Anyone want to join me for a celebratory drink?"

"Absolutely," Emily Prentiss and JJ said at the same time.

Hotch and Rossi declined, and went to their room, calling it a night.

Spencer caught up to River and put his hand in the small of her back. She turned and looked him in the eye. "Coffee?" he asked, quietly.

"Absolutely," she replied, and they turned towards the restaurant as well.

The five of them sat at the same table in the middle of the restaurant, and the waitress walked up.

"Vodka," Morgan said.

"Margarita," Emily said.

"Jack and Coke," JJ said.

"I'll have coffee, please," Spencer requested.

"I'll have coffee, as well, with cream and sugar," River added.

As the waitress walked away to get their order, Morgan laughed slightly. "Really JJ, you must have had a hard time with this case. Jack and Coke? A little hard for you, isn't it?"

"I think we all had a hard time with this case," JJ said. "We rarely get drinks after a case. Normally, we just go to bed, and fly home. It was your idea to stop for a drink. So, following your logic, it was a little hard for you, too."

"I concede. You got me," Derek said, laughing again.

Their drinks had just arrived, and the five of them sat their laughing and relaxing for almost two hours. Derek, JJ, and Emily all ordered one more drink at last call, and River and Spencer each had a couple more cups of coffee throughout the night. As they were heading up to their rooms, Spencer and River hung back a little.

"Well, you survived."

"Yes, I did. I didn't think I could; I guess I'm stronger than I thought." River was a little surprised she had survived. The night was over, and it was time for bed. She would be sleeping in her own apartment in 24 hours. "I can't wait to get back to DC though. I just want to go home."

"Me too. Me too."


End file.
